LEAP on the Hill: Stories from the week of June 6, 2008

Power of One: Monthly I attend the breakfast at a conservative facility which trains future leaders of the conservative movement. This morning the speaker was Scott Swett, the man who created the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Asked how he got involved, he said it was unexpected. Early in 2004 he was upset with John Kerry being regarded as a ‘war hero.’ ‘Someone should really expose this guy for the fraud he is.’ He thought. And then like a wave washing over him, he realized he was the ‘someone.’ Love or hate this man, he probably was the single, most powerful reason Kerry lost to Bush in 2004. Never, ever, ever doubt the power of one. Minding my own business when: After a few hours with Misty one morning this week (I have to work the weekend, so I snuck out to ride), I went to my favorite Mexican café (Chipotles) to enjoy a meal. Naturally I sat at the stool next to the cash register so everyone would read the t-shirt as they paid. A young woman tapped me on the shoulder. “Is your t-shirt serious? Cops want to legalize drugs? WHY?”….and from her tone I believed she was about ready to hit me. “Cut crime, no drug dealers & we can arrest more DUIs and child molesters.” I replied. Her face broke into a big smile, she shook my hand and thanked me for my position. Whew! No black eye to explain to my better half! BONUS: She said she works for SAMHSA (federal agency dealing with substance abuse and mental health) in their treatment division. She invited me to address her colleagues during a ‘brown bag lunch’ seminar. It is being set up. She finished our conversation saying that a few years ago, when the Drug Czar was speaking to her group, she told him the war on drugs was a horrible policy and should be ended immediately. What are we fighting for? Last month Bob in Colorado invited me into an on-going, on line discussion about war on drugs on a Coast Guard veteran’s site. After much was written, one man said, ‘why do you put so much energy into getting someone the right to snort cocaine up their nose?’ His question made me think. My answer: ‘The larger issue I am working on is to stop allowing government agents to come into your home, take you and put you in a prison because of something you are doing to yourself. The next logical step is for the government, in the name of protecting citizens, to take fat people out of the home and put them on a fat farm until they become healthy (healthy as defined by the government). This answer shut the guy up.